Sugar dispenser with lump disintegrating screen



April 24, 1962 N. s. Lococo SUGAR DISPENSER WITH LUMP DISINTEGRATING SCREEN Filed March 2, 1960 Fig. 2

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United States Patent 3,031,107 SUGAR DISPENSER WITH LUMP DISINTE- GRATING SCREEN Nell G. Lococo, 2230 Village Drive, Louisville, Ky. Filed Mar. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 12,365 4 Claims. (Cl. 222189) The present invention relates to dispensing-type containers for granular materials and has reference in particular to an invertible shaker-type sugar dispenser ordinarily and commonly seen in public restaurants and similar establishments. The usual sugar dispenser 1n the field under consideration comprises a jar-like contamer having a screw neck to accommodate the screw-threaded attaching rim of the cap-like cover. The cover is generally conical or domical in form and has a centralized pouring or shaking orifice at the end. I

As is equally well known, the sugar in these dispensingtype containers gets damp and lumpy. The lumps are often of sufficient size that when they become trapped in the orifice or discharge opening the latter is clogged and the dispenser refuses to work, that is, unless pounded or vigorously handled to dislodge the orifice clogging lump. It follows that the obvious objective in the instant matter is to partition or divide the trapping and funnelmg portion of the cap or cover from the receptacle portion of the sugar container. To *this end, the separator which is used for the purpose comprises a unique screen. This screen, in turn, is such in construction that it serves first, if not primarily, as a sugar lump disintegrator. For example, when the dispenser is inverted to shake or del1ver the usable sugar into the concentrating and funneling trap of the cover or cap it is intercepted by the screen. The screen has a novel grating embodied therein and the impact of the lumps with the component parts of the grating or screen results in breaking up or disintegrating the lumps so that the likelihood of clogging the discharge opening is reduced to a practical minimum.

The screen or separator is also advantageous in that it is readily insertable and removable, has a novel grating and is provided with a marginal ring-like rim, said rim being of compressibly resilient plastic or equivalent material and having the function of a gasket when it is in position between the upper edge of the wall of the container and an overlying shoulder portion of the cover.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation showing the container and dispenser in its inverted sugar dispensing position, the improved disintegrating screen being not visible here;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in section taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the readily insertable and removable disintegrating screen.

As is evident from FIG. 1 in particular, the glass or equivalent jar constitutes the aforementioned container and it is generally denoted by the numeral 4. As seen, the body portion or wall is denoted at 6 and the closed bottom (not detailed) is denoted at 8. The upper end is open and is increased in cross-sectional thickness and screw-threaded to provide an attaching neck 10. The lip or top edge of the wall is conveniently denoted by the numeral 12.

The screw cap or dispensing cover is of sheet material and is either of domical or conical shape and form.

3,031,107 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 The configuration shown is that commonly found in currently used caps. In any event, the sugar trapping and funneling part is denoted by the numeral 14 and is provided at the apex thereof with a discharge orifice or pouring hole 16. The body portion 14 is joined to the horizontal planes.

screw-threaded attaching rim 18 by a generally horizontal web 2% which provides a shoulder and which normally engages the lip or edge 12.

The insertable and removable screen or separator is denoted by the numeral 22. In plan it may be said to be disk-like or circular. In practice it will be perhaps made from a suitable grade of commercial plastics. As already touched upon broadly, this disintegrating screen and separator is characterized by an endless marginal flange or rim 24 the inner peripheral edge of which is joined to the adjacent cooperating marginal edge portion of the space-spanning honeycomb grating 26. This grating is the part which is relied upon to intercept sugar lumps from the main container and to act on the same in a manner to disintegrate or break the lumps into sulficiently small particles to pass through the multiplicity of screening holes 28. More specifically, this disintegrating grating is such that the top and bottom surfaces are in The bottom surface facing the container or receptacle portion presents a multiplicity of sharpened edges so that any lumps striking the same during the course of shaking the sugar will be readily cut and broken up. As a matter of fact, it is desirable that the screen be the same in construction on the top and bottom sides so that either side may be up or down when inserting or replacing. Consequently, the side which faces into the trapping receiver of the cover or cap also has knife-like cutting edges.

The honeycomb or cellular adaptation results from using a plurality of interconnected bar-like components which are substantially diamond-shaped in cross-section providing upper and lower V-shaped portions 30 and 32 as seen in FIG. 2. The vertices 34 and 36 provide the upper and lower knife-like disintegrating edges. The centrally restricted openings or passages are denoted at 38.

In actual practice the circumscribing ring or rim 24 is such in diameter and cross-sectional thickness and compressibly resilient character that it functions not only as a retainer when sandwiched between the components 12 and 20 but also constitutes a sealing gasket. The utilization of a gasket ring which is integrated with and forms a component part of the honeycomb type grating and the construction of the component parts of the grating to provide a multiplicity of passages, and then sharp ening the cutting edges for disintegrating results may be viewed as the essence of the instant concept. However, the over-all invention appears to reside in the novel disintegrating screen and separator by itself and in combination with the cooperating cover and container as brought out in FIG. 2. By resorting to the use of a screen and separator which lends itself to production from commercial plastic material constitutes a practical step in this line of endeavor in that the resultant product is noncorrodable, substantially unbreakable, easy to Wash and clean and is readily applicable and removable.

The pliability of the rim-like gasket 24 is a factor which contributes not only to the sealing characteristics but protection against chipping of the glass lip 12 is insured. In lunchrooms, restaurants and the like where it is necessary to frequently replenish the sugar in these dispensing bowls the added protection insured is a feature of the over-all improvement not to be overlooked. Very little pressure of the shoulder 20 against the lip 12 is required since the gasket ring 24 under these circumstances becomes a sort of a cushion.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may he resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A holder and dispenser for sugar or the like comprising: a container having a receptacle portion for sugar and being open at a top thereof, a hollow cover having means attaching the same to the open end portion of the container and having a shoulder overlying the adjacent edge of the container, the hollow portion of said cover adapted to trap the sugar and funnel the same through a discharge opening provided in said cover, and an insertable and removable lump disintegrating screen, said screen embodying a plurality of horizontal bar-like members interconnected with complemental horizontal barlike members at right angles to the first-named bar-like members and defining a multiplicity of sugar discharging openings, said bar-like members being integral with and surrounded by a screen-positioning and retaining rim, said screen spanning the open top of the container and separating the receptacle portion from the hollow portion of said cover, said rim being interposed and clampingly held between the top of the container and said shoulder, said rim being compressibly resilient, constituting a retainer for the screen and having the additional function of a gasket, said bar-like members having V-shaped upper portions and V-shaped lower portions defining upper and lower knife-like lump cutting and disintegrating means.

2. A holder and dispenser for sugar or the like comprising: a container, a cover removably mounted on said container and an insertable and removable lump disintegrating screen spanning an open top portion of the container and interposed between the container and cover, said screen comprising a plurality of coplanar spaced parallel horizontal bar-like members interconnected with complemental horizontal spaced parallel bar-like members at right angles to the first-named bar-like members and defining a multiplicity of openings permitting sugar from the container to be discharged therefrom and into the cover and dispensed through a discharge opening in the cover, and a rim circumscribing the bar-like members, said rim being of ring-like form and interposed between the top of the container and the cooperating portion of the cover and held in place by the cover, said bar-like members being substantially diamond-shaped in cross section and providing a plurality of cooperating upper V-shaped portions and lower V-shaped portions, the vertices of the respective V-shaped portions defining knifelike lump-cutting and disintegrating edges, the lower ones cooperating with the container and the upper ones cooperating with the cover.

3. For use between an existing lip-edge on a screwthreaded neck portion of a sugar containing and dispensing container and a readily attachable and detachable screw-threaded shouldered rim portion of a cap-like hollow centrally apertured dispensing cover for said container; a readily insertable and removable screen adapted to be interposed between the container and cover, said screen comprising a plurality of horizontal coplanar barlike members joined to each other and spaced apart to provide a plurality of openings permitting the sugar to be discharged from the container into the cover and dispensed for use by Way of the central aperture in the cover, said bar-like members being substantially diamond-shaped in cross-section and providing upwardly directed V-shaped portions defining knife-like members for cooperation with the cover, and depending knife-like members in alignment with and for cooperation with the container whereby to disintegrate and break up lumps of sugar from the container and also lumps of sugar which may have been trapped in the cover.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a readily applicable and removable sugar lump disintegrating combination washer and screen embodying a plurality of coplanar spaced parallel bar-like members which are horizontal and interconnected with other horizontal parallel bar-like members at right anglesto the first-named bar-like members and defining an openwork grating, said bar-like members being diamond-shaped in cross-section and providing upper V-shaped components the upwardly disposed vertices of which define knife-like elements, and lower V- shaped components disposed below the plane of a bottom side of the screen and the vertices thereof providing V- shaped cutting elements, the marginal portion of said grating being circumscribed by a compressibly resilient ring-like rim constituting an attaching and retaining member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 138,846 Bodkin et al. May '13, 1873 875,531 Kampfe Dec. 31, 1907 1,906,135 Cunningham Apr. 25, 1933 2,159,259 Dootson May 23, 1939 2,545,240 Patoe Mar. 31, 1951 2,717,723 Brunsting Sept. 13, 1955 

